Saturday, April 13, 2024

A00072 - Eleanor Collins, Ruby Sneed, and the Black Canadian Experience

 



I noted with great interest the recent obituary for Eleanor Collins, Canada's First Lady of Jazz.



and the Wikipedia article sparked my interest in the sister of Eleanor Collins, Ruby Sneed,


The interest in these individuals is not an isolated one.  The interest is that I sensed a connection to both Eleanor and Ruby through our Amber Valley and Edmonton connections.  As my cousin Ron Mapp notes in the following article, the Amber Valley Black Canadian Experience was a rich one which has greatly influenced Canadian history

'One of the biggest Black settlements in Western Canada' has a rich history | CBC News





I feel blessed to have Amber Valley as part of my own history and to occasionally be surprised by unexpected revelations such as those of Eleanor Collins and Ruby Sneed.

Simply amazing!

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Fairfield, California
April 2, 2024 

P..S. When Eleanor Collins was 102 she was honored by having a Canadian stamp issued in tribute to her.  For those who have the time and the interest, please view the following tribute video.  Eleanor Collins was not only the First Lady of Jazz she was also the First Lady of Class

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A00071 - Red Baraat on Holi

 


In addition to being Palm Sunday 


yesterday, March 24, was also Holi



As the Wikipedia article explains, 

Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring.[1][9][10][11] It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna.[12][13] Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil,[14][15] as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu.[16][17] Holi originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent of India and Nepal, but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Indian diaspora.[10][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

Holi also celebrates the arrival of Spring in India and Nepal, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love.[18][25] It is also an invocation for a good spring harvest season.[18][25] It lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Purnima (full moon day) falling on the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar.

*****

To celebrate Holi, yesterday I ventured over to the SF Jazz Center to finally see and listen to a band that was recommended to me by an Amherst College classmate some many years ago.  I went to see Red Baraat led by the very talented Sunny Jain


For over 100 minutes Red Baraat gave a highly energetic set which many of the attendees (including many of the senior citizen attendees) enjoyed by standing, dancing and jumping for the full 100 minutes on the dance floor in front of where the band performed.  This was the first time that I have seen a band invite over twenty attendees up on the stage to dance with them while they performed.  And the first time that I have seen an entire band go into the dancing crowd and play while the crowd danced around them.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate Holi, one which I recommend to any who may have the opportunity to see Red Baraat in the future.  After all Holi, need not be confined to a single day.  For some, it can exist on every day.

Maybe you are one of the some.  If so, enjoy.

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins 
Fairfield, California
March 25, 2024
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